As we’ve discussed the past few weeks, gaining management buy-in for your recognition program is pivotal to its success. After all, it takes the support of management to grant you a budget, set the example for the organization, and keep recognition at the top of the priority list.

Sometimes, the data and case studies aren’t persuasive enough for your organization’s head honchos. Another approach to gaining management buy-in for your program is giving them the recognition treatment.

The Recognition Treatment
One of the best ways to show the impact of recognition is to practice it! Equip yourself with handy recognition tools and start recognizing your team. Target your manager and the management team with your recognition, too. There are several ways you can recognize strategically:

1. Handwritten notes. My favorite way to recognize, a handwritten note of thanks and appreciation has a lasting impact on the recipient. Many individuals keep their recognition notes and display proudly them as badges of their accomplishments.

2. Public recognition. Your management team may prefer public recognition. Thank them for all their hard work or a specific accomplishment during a team meeting or event.

3. ePraise. Send members of management an ePraise to thank them for valuable feedback or their contribution to a project. ePraise not only delivers recognition to your recipient, but it also gives them the tools to recognize someone else, too!

4. Celebrate recognition holidays.  Recognition holidays acknowledge individuals on a special day. You can celebrate Boss’s Day on October 16, but if you can’t wait until October, throw an offseason party! Employee Appreciation Day is coming up on March 4. Include special manager recognition in your celebration.

5. Make it unique. Your recognition should stand out in management’s eyes. Be sure your handwritten note is personal or use a new recognition item that will really make an impression, like our new Note Pods.

Recognizing management can have many benefits for getting recognition program buy-in. As you give recognition to management, peers and employees, the benefit of recognition will soon be obvious. After a short period of time, management won’t be able to deny the advantages of recognition and will give you their full support!

 Thank you for joining today's Recognition TV webisode!  You can watch the complete recorded version with all my tips for getting management buy-in and support for your employee recognition program on Baudville.com or Baudville’s Facebook page. Several of my tips, ideas and best practices are below, but I recommend you watch the entire video (it’s only about 15 minutes!) to catch everything. 

Getting management buy-in and support for your employee recognition program is key to ensuring long term program success. Your management team not only influences how much is financially invested in your program, but they also influence how employees and other managers perceive the program.

1. Get Educated
The first step in gaining management buy-in is educating yourself on the benefits and return on investment recognition can provide. Begin your research with Baudville recognition white papers. Our non-cash recognition white paper includes data from the University of Chicago that found individuals who were given a tangible reward had a 14% higher performance outcome over those who were given cash, and 38.6% higher than those who did not receive a reward at all. Read all four of our recognition white papers for more helpful facts and statistics.

Conduct your own research, too. Earlier this week, Cori posted some credible sources you can use to help persuade management of the benefits of employee recognition. Read her blog post.

2. Get Employee Feedback
Next in your buy-in process, get feedback from employees about employee recognition. You can conduct a pretty simple survey, for example:

Do you feel valued at this organization?
Do you feel recognition is a priority at my organization?
In the last seven days, have you received recognition or praise for doing good work?

These questions will provide some insight in to the culture of your organization and how valued employees feel. Employees who feel valued and appreciated will plan to stay at your organization.

Repeat your survey after your employee recognition program has been implemented for at least 30 days to measure the impact. That way, you can show management the progress of your program and make a case for continuing or increasing an investment in it.

3. Practice Recognition
One of the best ways to demonstrate the value of recognition is to give it! Either start or continue giving recognition to your team and co-workers. You can use feel and low-cost tools, such as ePraise or Pocket Praise cards. Tangible items that employees can display at their desk have a greater impact and longer staying power. A Pintastic Manager is another great tool that includes a tracking device, too.

4. Make a Plan
Next, be prepared for your meeting with management by putting together a detailed plan for your employee recognition program. Describe the type of recognition you’re proposing – day-to-day, informal or formal – and explain how the recognition is connected to important values and goals.

For example, use a recognition theme to reinforce specific behaviors like teamwork. Our TEAM theme recognizes teamwork and team success and can be given to employees on a daily basis with our Cheers Kit.

5. Arrange a Meeting and Discuss
Finally, set up a time to meet with the management team to discuss the recognition program, how it will work, who is involved and what it will cost. Discuss the details as a group and be open to any ideas or suggestions they may have. If you make the team feel like they had a part in the creation of the program, they’ll have more ownership over the program in the long run.

By getting management support early on, you’ll set both your employee recognition program and your organization up to succeed!

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Cori is Baudville's in-house Recognitionista (she's officially a Certified Recognition Professional, too)  and a member of the Millennial generation. Get her employee recognition tips and special discounts by liking Baudville on Facebook.

When it comes to getting management buy-in for your employee recognition program, you need to show them the numbers. Results, facts and data are the language of the top suite, so be prepared with resources from these top organizations.

Baudville – We have several white papers available for free download that show the benefits, results and numbers associated with employee recognition. Make it your first stop of your research!

Recognition Professionals International – The only professional organization dedicated to study, develop and promote systems that enhance employee engagement through employee recognition. The association’s website has lots of resources available to non-members. 

Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement – A research center within Northwestern University, the forum is my favorite source for interesting research focused on employee performance, motivation and engagement.

Gallup Management Journal – The Gallup Organization has truly fueled the field of employee engagement and recognition with their research that culminated in 12: The Elements of Great Managing. Their management journal remains a great resource for book excerpts and analysis. 

WorldatWork – Another professional organization, WorldatWork studies total rewards, including benefits, compensation and recognition. They have a vast library of resources on employee recognition, employee engagement and how they fit in a total rewards strategy.

What sources or studies have you found helpful in making the case for employee recognition at your organization? Share the names and links here!

Management support is a vital part of a successful recognition program, especially when a program is just beginning. This month, we’ll bring you tips and ideas to help gain and maintain management buy-in for your recognition program. Whether you are starting a new recognition program this year or trying to preserve momentum internally, these tips will help!

Also this month, we will be discussing management buy-in for our first Recognition TV webisode of the new year. Don’t miss any of our tips by registering for the webisode today!

Management buy-in for your recognition program is very important to the success of your program for three reasons.

1. Budget. Obviously, you’ll need some funding to get your program off the ground, but first you have to convince management your program will bring value to the organization. Read our Recognition White Papers for some helpful facts.

2. Set an example. The leaders in your organization are leaders for a reason: people look up to them. When it comes to recognition, your staff is looking to the leaders to set an example. If they fail to practice recognition, your employees will, too.

3. Maintaining Momentum. One of the biggest challenges of an employee recognition program is maintaining long term momentum. Management participation and creativity can keep the program alive by seeking feedback and implementing new ideas, changes and improvements to your program.

If you want your recognition program to succeed, be sure to get management’s commitment to practice the program, not just give it a line item in the budget!